Pages

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my birthday. I turn 21 for the 10th time! Big Guy, with his adoration of me, bought me the special edition of Bioshock 2 and we received it last night. I, of course, wasted no time in getting it open.

This is the outer cover of the box. The special edition stuff lies beneath this innocent looking exterior.

The box itself. Oh joy, oh Rapture!

Closeups of the butterfly wing and the game imprint.

I then opened the box and was greeted with an LP from Rapture Records. Yes, it came with an actual vinyl record. It's the soundtrack to the original Bioshock Game and will likely be the only thing I don't open unless I find a record player.

Underneath the vinyl was the art book and the rolled up mini-posters. Those posters are going to Kinko's for laminating or to Hobby Lobby for framing.

Lifting up the art book we find the final two items of the special edition. On top is the Bioshock 2 Soundtrack on CD,

The final piece in this puzzle, the Bioshock 2 game. Be still my beating heart!

I never anticipated to love a story as much as I loved the original Bioshock game. The idea of it was intriguing, especially for someone who embraced and enjopyed 1984 and Brave New World. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that some of my favorite stories are dystopic in nature.

The story of Rapture brings you in and makes you pause. It was started with the very best of intentions, but the gradual descent into madness and horror reflects the impact that humanity has on the best of intentions. Philosophically, human greed will always screw up a good thing. That's why communism and socialism will never truly succeed unless under the rule of a tyrant.

Of course, the story involved in Bioshock also illustrates why I love literature so much. Stories give us insight into ourselves. Sometimes the mirror shows us things we don't want to see, but it simply reflects the darker parts we need to make sure do not take over.

Wow, the packaging is amazing! We got the plain old xbox 360 case, but naturally, once started on the game, all else was forgotten!The first Bioshock was such an incredible experience, I had my doubts that a sequel would come anywhere close. So glad to be disappointed! I'm impressed how faithfully they are sticking to the Randian elements of the story, which give Rapture a special kind of creepiness, and that the sound design and voice acting are again top-notch.